Modern Armored Warfare: The Tanks Quiz

If you're heading into battle, there are worse places to be than behind five inches of steel with a massive gun on a turret to discourage your enemies. See how much you know about armored warfare with this quiz on tanks from World War I to the present day.

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Question 1 of 30

The technological development of the treaded tank from earlier armored cars was driven by the need to overcome what battlefield obstacle in World War I?

trenches

Networks of trenches made territorial gains extremely difficult on World War I battlefields. Tanks were developed as a way to drive over them while protecting infantry.

thick concrete walls

massive piles of corpses

Question 2 of 30

How many crew members were required to operate a British Mark I tank, the first to see combat action?

4

8

A Mark I tank needed a crew of eight.

10

Question 3 of 30

Why was the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux so notable?

It was the first time tanks fought against tanks in combat.

A trio of German A7V tanks blundered into three British Mark IV tanks, sparking a slow and inconclusive battle, the first in which tanks battled tanks.

It was the first time tanks won a battle.

It was the battle during which Germany captured several British tanks, pushing German tank development ahead by decades.

Question 4 of 30

The French Renault FT tank was a revolutionary design for what reason?

It was the first tank with a horsepower-per-ton ratio higher than 10.

It was the first tank with a rotating turret instead of side-mounted gun sponsons.

The rotating turret of the Renault FT established the basic design of modern tanks.

It was the first tank with a crew of one.

Question 5 of 30

The Russian T-34 tank was successful in World War II partly due to its excellent performance, partly because the Soviets could produce so many of them. How many did they manufacture?

more than 80,000

While the T-34 was eventually outclassed by some German tanks late in the war, the Soviets could produce it quickly, making it relatively easy to replace battlefield losses. They made over 80,000 during the course of the war.

just under 100,000

almost 500,000

Question 6 of 30

What was the most common U.S. tank in World War II?

M3 Lee

M4 Sherman

Like the T-34, the M4 Sherman was a good tank that achieved much of its advantage by being produced in large numbers.

A13 Covenanter

Question 7 of 30

What is the classification of a vehicle designed specifically to combat other tanks, trading off some aspect of performance for increased firepower?

medium tank

tankette

tank destroyer

Most British, German and Russian tank destroyers had no turrets, while U.S. tank destroyers had open tops and light armor. These tradeoffs made them cheaper and faster to produce and often allowed the mounting of heavier guns that could penetrate tank armor.

Question 8 of 30

The effective thickness of a tank's armor can be increased by doing what?

riveting the armor plates instead of welding them

increasing the internal volume of the tank

angling the armor relative to the expected direction of incoming rounds

Angled armor tends to deflect incoming rounds away instead of being penetrated, so sloped or angled armor has a greater effective thickness than the same amount of armor mounted squarely facing attacks.

Question 9 of 30

What tanks formed the bulk of the Nazi armored force during the Blitzekrieg stages of World War II, when they invaded Poland and France?

Panzer I and II

The primary German tanks early in the war were light Panzer I and II tanks, with a small percentage of IIIs and IVs.

Panzer III and IV

Jagdpanther

Question 10 of 30

The German term for tank destroyer, Jagdpanzer, translates as…

wolf tank

hunting tank

Jagdpanzer translates as "hunting tank."

killer tank

Question 11 of 30

What World War II battle is considered the largest tank-vs-tank battle in history?

the Battle of Kursk

As many as 5,000 Russian and German tanks took part in Kursk, a concentration of armored firepower that hasn't been matched since.

the Battle of Moscow

the Battle of Berlin

Question 12 of 30

After World War II, the various classifications of tanks (light, medium, heavy) were replaced by what new designation?

pure tank

main battle tank

The earlier tank classifications were the result of necessary tradeoffs between armor, mobility and firepower. Modern tank technology allowed one tank to accomplish everything needed of armor on the battlefield, a concept known as a main battle tank.

armored gun carriage

Question 13 of 30

What was the first main battle tank?

American M46 Patton

Russian KV-2

British Centurion

The Centurion wasn't referred to as a main battle tank in 1945, but it accomplished so much more than prior medium tanks that it was called "the universal tank," and established the idea that one tank could combine mobility and firepower with decent armor.

Question 14 of 30

What was the primary tank used by the U.S. in the Vietnam war?

M48 Patton

While the M60 was the most commonly used tank in the 1960, the tanks used in Vietnam were M48 Pattons.

M60

M1 Abrams

Question 15 of 30

A typical round fired from a tank is a ballistic armor-piercing round, basically a large non-explosive bullet shaped to penetrate armor. Another common option is a HEAT round. How do they work?

They generate an explosive jet that burns through the armor and damages interior components/crew.

HEAT rounds focus a hot jet of explosive gas which melts a hole in the armor (and does unpleasant things to whatever's on the other side).

They explode on the surface, damaging armor plates so that subsequent armor-piercing rounds do more damage.

They carry an initiator charge that superheats the armor, softening it a fraction of a second before the primary round strikes.

absorbing enough of the kinetic impact that the HEAT round's detonator never triggers

instantly adjusting the armor's angle to deflect the round away from the tank

Question 17 of 30

When a round strikes metal armor, it can injure or kill the crew without penetration because shards of metal splinter from the inside of the tank. What is the term for this impact shrapnel?

spall

Modern tanks are equipped with "spall liners" to prevent this kind of crew injury.

flak

duff

Question 18 of 30

The T28 Super-Heavy tank, also know as the T95, was a 100-ton monster meant to smash through concrete defenses (it was never put into production). How did the tracks differ from ordinary heavy tanks?

They were completely enclosed within the hull of the tank, except for the bottom surface.

It had four sets of tracks, two side-by-side pairs.

The T28 had four sets of tracks, primarily because the outer set needed to be removable for transport.

It had special turning tracks on the front and rear to aid in adjusting the fixed gun.

Question 19 of 30

What is the primary tank in use by Russia (and several other nations) today?

T-90

The T-90 went into production in 1992 and remains in production today. It's also the primary tank used by India.

T-70

IS-8

Question 20 of 30

The Merkava is the main battle tank of what nation?

Israel

The Merkava and its upgraded versions have seen action in every Israeli conflict since the early 1980s.

Syria

Belgium

Question 21 of 30

The Swedish Stridsvagn 103 was a main battle tank with no turret and a gun in a fixed position. How was the gun aimed?

By turning the entire tank and lifting or lowering the suspension to raise or lower the gun

The Stridsvagn 103 adjusted side-to-side like a World War II-era tank destroyer. The fixed gun was raised or lowered by a computer-controlled suspension system that responded to the gunner's controls by lifting or lowering the front of the tank.

By turning the entire tank and using terrain to adjust the gun's elevation

By turning the entire tank and adjusting the elevation of the firing angle by using different types of ammunition

Question 22 of 30

What was the term used for German tanks in World War II, which translates to "armored combat vehicle?"

Freundschaftsbezeigungen

Panzerkampfwagen

Panzerkampfwagen is usually shortened to "Panzer." Fun fact, since Panzer just means armor in German, bulletproof glass is called Panzerglas.

Waffenträger auf Panzer

Question 23 of 30

The heaviest tank produced by Germany before the end of World War II was the…

Jagdpanzer IV

Panther

Tiger II

The Tiger II, sometimes known as the King Tiger, weighed 75 tons.

Question 24 of 30

The speedy British medium tank the Cromwell was named after…

the Cromwell Proving Grounds near Leeds, where it was developed

General Nigel Cromwell, 18th century military hero

Oliver Cromwell, 17th century politician

The Cromwell tank was named for Oliver Cromwell.

Question 25 of 30

When a tank is positioned behind a slope or other obstacle so that only the turret is visible to enemies, this is known as…

dismounted

enfilade

hull down

Many tanks are designed with heavy turret armor, making a hull down position tactically wise.

Question 26 of 30

Although maintenance and repair units do the big jobs, every tank crew has to know how to perform what basic repair?

replace a broken driveshaft

weld a damaged armor plate

fix a thrown track

Because a tank can throw or break a track due to combat damage, rough terrain or even taking a hard turn, every crew has to be able to fix it themselves.

Question 27 of 30

The Chi-Nu was a World War II tank produced by what country?

Russia

China

Japan

All Japanese medium tanks in World War II used the "Chi" designation. The Chi-Ri, which only existed as a prototype, was their most advanced design based on the earlier Chi-Nu and Chi-To.

Question 28 of 30

The U.S. M3 Lee tank was known by what other name, depending on the specific configuration?

M3 Grant

M3s were sent to England by the U.S, where some were fitted with British guns and other components — these were known as M3 Grants, as opposed to fully American M3 Lees (one senses a certain amount of British humor in the choice of nickname).

M3 Hyperion

M3aGf7

Question 29 of 30

Most of the Sherman tanks used in World War II were produced where?

the Highland Park Ford plant

the Detroit Tank Arsenal

The Detroit Tank Arsenal was the first manufacturing plant ever built specifically for tanks, which had previously been built in repurposed car, truck or airplane plants.

the Indianapolis Foundry

Question 30 of 30

What is the top speed of an M1 Abrams tank?

35 mph

60 mph

45 mph

Turbine engines enable the kind of power-to-weight ratio that lets the 60-plus ton Abrams move up to 45 mph.